Burquitlam Buyer's Guide: Towers, Walk-Ups and the Burnaby Border

Burquitlam Station opened on December 2, 2016. Almost every tower you can see from the platform was approved or built after that date.

That one fact explains most of what a buyer notices here. This is the southwest corner of Coquitlam, pressed against the Burnaby border, and it is partway through a change that started with a train.

Where you actually are

The station sits at 548 Clarke Road. The three streets that organise the area are Clarke Road running north to south, North Road running along the Burnaby boundary, and Como Lake Avenue crossing east to west.

The Safeway at Clarke and Como Lake has been the local grocery anchor for decades, and the plaza around it is the everyday shopping stop for most of the neighbourhood. Burquitlam Park is a short walk from the station. Burnaby Mountain rises behind the whole area, and Simon Fraser University sits at the top of it.

One SkyTrain stop west puts you in Burnaby at Lougheed Town Centre. That proximity is why so many buyers shop both municipalities in the same week.

The plan that set the shape

After the station opened, the City of Coquitlam adopted the Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan in 2017. It followed three phases of public consultation and sets a direction for the next 20 to 25 years.

The idea behind it is simple to describe and slow to build. Put the tallest buildings closest to the two SkyTrain stations. Step down to mid-rise and townhouse forms as you move away. Add parks, sidewalks and community space to carry the extra people.

For a buyer, the plan answers a question that otherwise looks random: why is there a 30-storey tower on one block and a row of houses on the next. Both are following the same document at different distances from the train.

The provincial layer on top

In 2024 a second set of rules arrived. Under provincial legislation, Coquitlam designated land within 800 metres of eight SkyTrain stations as Transit-Oriented Areas, and Burquitlam Station is one of them.

Inside these areas the Province sets minimum heights and densities the city must be prepared to allow, measured in rings by distance from the station. The city also removed minimum residential parking requirements there, apart from accessible parking for people with disabilities.

Two practical consequences follow.

Land near the station is priced on what could be built there, which is part of why older houses and walk-ups inside the ring trade above what the building on them is worth.

New projects may carry fewer parking stalls than older ones. Check the stall count for the specific unit rather than assuming.

The full mechanics are in Coquitlam's transit-oriented areas. Coquitlam also adopted a plan in May 2026 for the blocks on the edges of the Burquitlam and Lougheed areas, which we cover in the 2026 southwest plan.

What you can actually buy

The stock here falls into a few clear groups.

Newer concrete towers near the station. Most are from the last decade. These are the units buyers see first, and the ones with the most direct comparison to Brentwood or Lougheed.

Wood-frame low-rise and townhouses further out. Usually a longer walk, often on the sloped streets, generally lower strata fees than a tower with a pool and a concierge.

Older three and four storey rental walk-ups. Built decades ago, many still operating as rentals, many sitting on land the new rules allow far more on. Some will be redeveloped.

Single-family houses on the outer streets. Older stock, and the ones closest to the station are valued partly for what a builder could do with the lot.

The Brentwood comparison

Buyers raise this constantly, so it is worth taking seriously.

Brentwood and Burquitlam are both SkyTrain neighbourhoods that went from low-rise to towers after a transit investment. Brentwood began that change earlier. More of its retail is open, more of its public space is finished, and more of the towers are occupied rather than under construction.

Burquitlam is earlier in the same process. That cuts both ways. There is less finished street life today, and there are more sites where something is coming.

If you are weighing the two, read Brentwood versus Metrotown for how a maturing transit neighbourhood behaves once the construction phase ends.

The university up the hill

Burquitlam Station has a bus exchange, and one of the connections runs up Burnaby Mountain to Simon Fraser University. Route 143 serves the campus on weekdays.

That matters to a buyer in two directions.

If you plan to rent the unit out, a tenant can reach a major campus without a car. That is a real source of demand, and it holds up through the academic year.

If you plan to live in it, expect more turnover in a building that allows rentals, because student leases move on a September to April rhythm. Read the strata's rental rules and the minutes before you assume either way.

The trade-offs, said plainly

Construction. Sites around the station are active, and more are approved. A unit with an open view today can face a wall in a few years. Ask the listing agent what is approved on the neighbouring blocks, and check the city's development application map yourself.

The terrain is steep. Burquitlam sits on the lower slope of Burnaby Mountain. Eight hundred metres to the station on a map is a different walk uphill carrying groceries or pushing a stroller. Walk the route in both directions before you decide.

The neighbourhood is still filling in. Some blocks have a finished tower next to a gravel lot. Retail arrives with the buildings, and it arrives late.

The Burnaby line. Confirm which municipality an address is in. Taxes, permits and school district all follow that line, and two listings 300 metres apart can be in different cities.

Schools

Burquitlam falls in School District No. 43 (Coquitlam). Catchments are assigned by address, and the boundaries are reviewed by the district over time.

Look up the exact address on the district's boundary tool, then confirm with the district directly. A listing description is not a reliable source for this, and neither is the previous owner's memory of where their children went.

What this comes down to

• Burquitlam Station opened December 2, 2016, and the neighbourhood around it is younger than the station.
• The Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan, adopted in 2017, sets a 20 to 25 year direction with the tallest forms closest to the train.
• The station area is a designated Transit-Oriented Area, where the Province sets minimum heights and Coquitlam removed residential parking minimums.
• A bus connection to Simon Fraser University supports rental demand and brings tenant turnover with it.
• Older rental walk-ups sit on land that now allows much more, so nearby low buildings are not permanent views.
• Price in construction, steep walking routes and unfinished retail, and confirm which side of the Burnaby border an address falls on.
• Contact our team to walk a specific building with you, or browse listings in the area.

Plan your next step

Work through neighbourhood checks before you shortlist a building here, since the walk, the slope and the approved sites next door are the things a listing photo will not show you. If you are buying a strata unit, strata review covers the minutes, the depreciation report and the rental rules you want to read first.